Big Brother
by Bucken-Berry
Summary: Based on Asimov's short story "Lennie". What if Susan Calvin built Lennie a sibling robot? Disclaimer: I don't own the characters.


Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, except for the ones I made up, nor am I making any money from this. I'm just a 16 year old girl having a little fun. :)

Susan Calvin was the last person anyone expected to have "family problems". There were several reasons for this- but the main reason in everyone's mind was her utter contempt for anything that wasn't a robot.

But her family WAS robotic. A freak accident had made the prototype of the LNE series the robotic equivalent of an infant. An infant which she had adopted and nurtured like she couldn't-wouldn't- do with a human infant. And all had seemed to be going well.

And then the problem started. Lennie had matured to roughly a 4-year-old on the human scale. And like any lonely 4 year old, he had decided that he wanted a sibling to play with. Not that he actually felt the loneliness, of course. Susan still did want to succeed, however, she couldn't figure out a solution. Anything organic, without experience handling robots, could be hurt by Lennie. Building another robot at Lennie's level was out of the question- while Lennie did not lack the Three Laws, he had some flaws with his fractal brain that made him a potential danger if he was threatened. She would never replicate such a flaw intentionally.

She sat at her desk with a frown and ran the problems through her head, over and over again. Lennie desired a companion. The companion could not be organic, nor could it be a robot at his level- Ah ha! The puzzle clicked into place. Lennie didn't need a little sibling- he could work just as well with an older sibling. If she designed one with the intellect of a human teenager, she would not have to worry about the robot not knowing his own strength, and he could still engage Lenny.

The gears in her mind already whirling, she set to work.

Months later, the fractal brain for BNE-prototype had been designed. She had based the programming off of Lennie's design, adding a few designs. She worked furiously to build the prototype, the days melting into weeks and months before she was ready to test it. She asked it the standard "How are you?" In order to see how well it had worked.

"I'm pretty good. How're you?" The prototype replied. Susan's lips turned upwards.

"I am well, thank you. Now, I am going to introduce you to Lennie." She said. She grasped it's hand and guided him towards the room she kept Lennie in.

"Lennie, come here." Susan instructed. Lennie stood and walked unsteadily towards them.

"This is Bennie, your big brother." Susan said with another half-smile. Lennie looked him over.

"Bennie? Play?" Lennie asked. He pointed towards the metallic toys Susan had built for him.

"Sure." Bennie replied, walking with Lennie towards them. Susan watched the robot's interactions as they played with utter fascination.

In the whole history of U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men, Inc, the "robot out of control" machine had only been pressed once, and that was in response to Lennie. The situation had been quickly diffused, and no one had ever expected to hear it again. Hatred for the "Frankenstein complex" still abounded. Susan scowled at the stupidity of her government- did they really think the employees were so stupid that they would allow a dangerous robot to be built? Or, if by some miracle one was assembled, that it wouldn't be controlled or destroyed?

Susan was just reflecting on this when, for the second time in the company's history, the alarm for a robot out of control sounded. Her breath hitched, she closed her eyes, and she immediately knew the cause. She walked towards where a crowd was already gathering and sought out the apparent victim.

"What is going on?" She asked furiously.

"There were these two robots playing, and I jokingly took a toy away from the smaller one, and he started crying and then the big one ripped the toy out of my hand and broke it!" Was the pained reply. Susan glared at the employee.

"You should have known better." She said acidly. Peter Bogert immediately disagreed.

"Susan, we have let your robot get away with trouble once, and we can't let it happen again. Our reputation will be destroyed!" Peter said with a hint of desperation.

"This was not trouble. This was a robot defending another."

"For heaven's sake, Susan! First you insist a robot can defend itself and injure a human, now you want robots to defend each other and injure people! Why not remove the Three Laws entirely?" Peter exclaimed.

"We have remarkably little knowledge of robot-to-robot interaction. I can learn quite a lot from these two." Susan retorted.

"You couldn't have built two normal robots for this purpose?" Peter cried out in frustration.

"No, I couldn't have." Susan said stubbornly. "You will not interfere with either of these two robots or I will be leaving this company." Peter closed his eyes for one moment, contemplating his choices. Dangerous robots allowed to exist or losing a much-needed robopsychologist?

"Susan, is there no way to make the safer?" Peter inquired.

"Yes, there is a way. Don't allow anybody except myself near them." She requested. Peter swallowed.

"I suppose, but next time this happens, I will not compromise."

"There won't be a next time." Susan insisted. Peter shook his head and walked away.

Susan returned to her sons, the only beings she could love... the only beings she had a mother's instinct for.


End file.
